Athletics use long ball to sink Mariners
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Adam Rosales and Ryon Healy hit first-inning home runs Saturday, propelling the Oakland Athletics to their fifth straight win, a 4-3 triumph over the Seattle Mariners.
Right-hander Jharel Cotton (2-2) and four relievers combined to limit the Mariners to nine hits, helping Oakland win its third in a row over Seattle to start the four-game series.
After Robinson Cano gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead with a solo homer off Cotton in the top of the first inning, the A's needed just three pitches in the bottom of the inning to get even and only 11 to take a lead they never relinquished.
Rosales got the game-opening uprising going against Seattle left-hander Ariel Miranda (1-2) with his second homer of the season. It was the second of his career when serving as Oakland's first batter of the game.
After Jed Lowrie followed with a single, Healy belted his third homer of the season, a two-run shot to left field that gave Oakland a 3-1 lead.
Nelson Cruz's sacrifice fly scored Mitch Haniger, who had been hit by a pitch, to get Seattle within 3-2 in the third.
But as they had done in the first inning, the A's countered immediately in the bottom of third with a single by Lowrie and double by Healy setting up an RBI infield out by Khris Davis for a 4-2 advantage.
Miranda was pulled one batter into the fourth inning, having allowed four runs on seven hits. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Right-hander Chase De Jong kept the Mariners within striking distance with four innings of one-hit, shutout relief.
Cotton was pulled after giving up two runs and six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out two.
After Frankie Montas had pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, the Mariners got within 4-3 in the eighth when pinch-hitter Kyle Seager tripled off Liam Hendriks to score Cano, who had singled as the only batter to face Daniel Coulombe.
Ryan Madson, the A's third pitcher of the inning, got Guillermo Heredia to ground out, stranding the potential tying run at third base.
Madson then worked a scoreless ninth, striking out three to sandwich a two-out single and stolen base by Jarrod Dyson. The save was Madson's first of the season.
The loss was the Mariners' ninth in 10 road games this season.
Lowrie had three of the eight hits for Oakland (10-8), which had opened the four-game series with 9-6 and 3-1 wins.
Cano had three hits and Dyson two for the Mariners (7-12), who outhit the A's 9-8.
NOTES: The game featured a double-review on a fielder's choice ground ball hit by A's 3B Trevor Plouffe in the bottom of the eighth. A's manager Bob Melvin successfully challenged Plouffe having been called out at first base on the play, after which Mariners manager Scott Servais was denied when he claimed LF Khris Davis' slide at second base had been illegal. ... The successful challenge was the A's first of the season in four tries. They had been one of just three teams (along with the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs) who had entered play Saturday without a successful challenge this season. ... The A's, who were a season-worst three games under .500 after a 7-0 loss to Texas on Monday night, are now a season-best two games over. The last time the A's were more than one game over .500 was exactly a year ago Saturday, when they were 10-7. ... A's INF Adam Rosales' other first-inning leadoff home run came on May 3, 2013, against the New York Yankees. ... The Mariners are averaging 3.2 runs in their 10 road games this season and 5.2 runs in their nine home contests.